Bath police applaud girl for saying ‘no’ to stranger

BATH, Maine — Police commended an 11-year-old Bath Middle School student for saying “no” to a stranger in a vehicle when he twice asked her for directions and then offered to give her a ride Tuesday afternoon.

Police Chief Mike Field said the incident occurred around 4:30 p.m. on High Street, near York Street. The girl was walking home from school, when a male driving a dark or black four-door sedan with a loud exhaust asked her first for directions to the middle school, then stopped again to ask for directions to Morse High School, and a third time to ask her name and if he could give her a ride, Field said.

“She did the right thing and said ‘no,’ and then quickly went to her house,” the chief said. Her parents later contacted police.

“You don’t take rides from any stranger,” Field said, adding that anyone in the girl’s position should do what she did and quickly go to their house or to a trusted house, if one is close enough.

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Police are looking for a vehicle of the type described. There is no description for the driver. Any suspicious activity that involves a vehicle matching the description should be reported to Bath Police at 443-5563.